Lake Forest’s LEAD to host prescription drug abuse summit Sept. 23

The Lake Forest-based Leading Efforts Against Drugs [LEAD] group is sponsoring a Prescription for Prevention summit on Tuesday, Sept. 23, to address the growing incidence of prescription drug abuse or misuse by teens.

“This isn’t about discussing why there is an epidemic, but rather what we can do about it,” LEAD Executive Director Andy Duran said.

One in five teens, aged 12 to 17, abuse or misuse prescription drugs nationally, according to a study conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy and cited on the LEAD website, www.leadingefforts.org.

During the summit, LEAD will outline local drug issues and community-wide solutions and bring together a panel of community leaders who will speak on the topic and answer questions from participants.

After the four-hour summit, participants will have the opportunity to participate in Naloxone training, provided by Live4Lali.org. Naloxone is a drug that reverses the effects of heroin overdose and allows first responders time to get an overdosing patient to the emergency room for necessary treatment.

To register or the program, go to www.leadingefforts.org/RxSummit or call 847-295-9075.